Show ContentsTiger Surname History

The distinguished and ancient surname Tiger is Old French in origin, and was brought to England in the wake of the Norman Conquest. The name is derived from "tigier," meaning "people-spear."

Early Origins of the Tiger family

The surname Tiger was first found in the county of Suffolk, where Tigerus was recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book. The Tiger family was granted property in this county for their assistance in the Battle of Hastings, and held a family seat in this region from its earliest years in England. The pervasive Norman influence made French the language of aristocracy; thus, names of French or Anglo-Norman origin were considered marks of class.

Early History of the Tiger family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tiger research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1319, 1327, 1851, 1861, 1937 and 1942 are included under the topic Early Tiger History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tiger Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Tigar, Tiger, Tigier, Tygre, Tyger and others.

Early Notables of the Tiger family

More information is included under the topic Early Tiger Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tiger Ranking

In the United States, the name Tiger is the 12,125th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Ireland Migration of the Tiger family to Ireland

Some of the Tiger family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Tiger migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Tiger Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John George Tiger, who immigrated to Philadelphia in 1772
  • John George Tiger, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1772 2
Tiger Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Tiger, who landed in New York in 1831 2
Tiger Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Eisidor Tiger, who arrived in Arkansas in 1902 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Tiger (post 1700) +

  • Robert N. Tiger, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from North Carolina, 1944 (alternate), 1952 3
  • Emma Tiger Schweiger, German child actress


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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